Light Sentences for Arabs Who Attacked Hareidi Man

Two Arabs from eastern Jerusalem who took part in a group assault on the Jewish man receive one year in jail each.

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Gil Ronen, 24/12/13 22:09

Arabs riot in the Old City (archive)

Israel news photo: Flash 90

Two Arab men from eastern Jerusalem, aged 18 and 19 respectively, received light sentences Tuesday for taking part in an assault against a hareidi man earlier this year.

The two were part of a gang that carried out a violent attack against the hareidi man on a Saturday evening in July, on Sultan Suleiman street, near the Damascus Gate into the Old City.

The Arabs were convicted in a plea bargain that was concluded between their lawyer and the State Attorney's Office (SAO), according to which they will each serve one year in jail and another six months' suspended sentence. In addition, each one of them will pay 10,000 shekels compensation to their victim, in 20 payments.

The attack on the Jewish man included punches and kicks to all parts of his body, whipping with a belt and the throwing of a rock from close range.

Judge Dana Cohen-Lekah approved the plea bargain struck by the SAO and the defendants. She noted that the jail time meted out to the two "is definitely not in the high range," but added that "it is balanced out by the amount of compensation that the defendants were made to pay."